This week on Act Out!, we take a look at 12 bills, filings, laws and proposals that have been brought forward to directly curtail our access to free speech, press and the right to petition our government – a.k.a. the First Amendment. In this special segment, we lay out the vehemently anti-dissident ideas popping up in state legislatures all over the country. From hit-and-run laws to getting put in jail for laughing, asset seizure for attending a protest and a $1 million fine for organizing a direct action, these creeping authoritarian-style moves are directly made to intimidate, silence and destroy those fighting for justice.

Interestingly enough, much in the same way that bombing innocent people only creates more terrorists, throwing down a gavel against protesters will only create more. The really efficient way to get your freeways unblocked and your streets unclogged is to listen to the demands of people who want clean air and clean water; who want to stop being killed because of the color of their skin. These basic human rights are non-negotiable and no amount of legalese will stop people from fighting for them.

Also on the front lines, we take a look at the fight for Net Neutrality 2.0. You may recall that Net Neutrality prevailed two years ago, and yet here we are again having to resurrect the fight for an open, accessible internet. While this issue may not sound particularly sexy or interesting, this fight is absolutely vital for our 21st century way of life – be it applying for jobs, doing homework, making appointments, or accessing information that, unlike TV, hasn’t been filtered through corporate America before it reaches you. This is the fight right – this week. And this is how you can get involved.

One year ago, 17 people locked themselves on to a deportation charter flight at London Stansted Airport, grounding a plan that would have sent 59 people back to face reprisal – and possibly death – in Ghana and Nigeria. Now, those activists could face life imprisonment.

The new tax law uses trickle-down economics as the basis for its tax code, the logic being: less taxes equals more money for wealthy individuals and companies that will invest in more jobs, capital improvements and wages.

The strike in West Virginia may be over but the fight continues. Teacher Brittney Barlett joins us to talk backstory, aftermath and the road ahead. Also, the geeks are watching you—and here's a solution to student debt.

One year ago, 17 people locked themselves on to a deportation charter flight at London Stansted Airport, grounding a plan that would have sent 59 people back to face reprisal – and possibly death – in Ghana and Nigeria. Now, those activists could face life imprisonment.

The deregulation of media in the 1990s illustrates the effectiveness of the Anti-Democracy Movement in convincing Republicans and Democrats alike that a narrow, market-driven, anti-government approach was imperative—even if it led to oligopoly.

One year ago, 17 people locked themselves on to a deportation charter flight at London Stansted Airport, grounding a plan that would have sent 59 people back to face reprisal – and possibly death – in Ghana and Nigeria. Now, those activists could face life imprisonment.

In a stunning visual riposte to the public inertia that has followed mass shootings in America, crowds of students at an estimated 3,000 schools across the country marched on to running tracks, through parking lots and around building perimeters.

The strike in West Virginia may be over but the fight continues. Teacher Brittney Barlett joins us to talk backstory, aftermath and the road ahead. Also, the geeks are watching you—and here's a solution to student debt.

“This year, thanks in part to research and outreach efforts across institutions, we have seen progress on many regulatory priorities this Network has championed for years,” the Koch brothers' memo notes, detailing victory after victory.

Bringing millions of people to the streets is not an easy task, but maintaining momentum is even more difficult. It requires resources, organization, training, and time and space to build consensus around planning for the future.

Featured

The strike in West Virginia may be over but the fight continues. Teacher Brittney Barlett joins us to talk backstory, aftermath and the road ahead. Also, the geeks are watching you—and here's a solution to student debt.

Featured

In Seattle on Saturday, ACT for America, designated an "anti-Muslim hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, held a rally at Seattle City Hall while similar anti-Muslim protests occurred in dozens of cities nationwide.